With Teresa May’s recent pledge that every secondary school teacher will receive free mental health training, the profile of mental health and schools is raised once again. Do schools view wellbeing as an ‘added extra’ or firmly embedded within the culture and ethos of success? Penny Webb explores the research of Sue Roffey and argues […]

In the shadow of one of the most hotly debated political issues of recent times and as we step with trepidation into a post-EU era, Sarah Christie and Agnes Szorenyi of the University’s Research Centre for Children Families and Communities give a voice to families of the ‘EU generation’: those who recently migrated to Kent […]

In schools, storytelling can be a rich experience for children, sometimes happening before they shape texts in writing, sometimes when telling stories for their own sake. It is what writing is built upon and skilled teachers know about its importance when using storytelling as part of the language curriculum to build children’s literary skills.

Fundamentalism is no mystery, the work of the devil or of evil minds beyond our comprehension. When we witness barbarism on the streets of Brussels, Paris, Beirut and countless other locations, we can recognise, if pausing for a moment, some equivalent potential, however small, in ourselves.

The Department for Education has informed teachers and parents that the national spelling test for seven year olds, due to take place in May 2016, is now cancelled…but is it actually an opportunity for teachers up and down the country to do things more interesting with the time saved?

Who could possibly argue with Nicky Morgan’s vision of education demonstrated in Educational Excellence Everywhere?… Educational excellence everywhere as a concept is a great vision. However there are some other shortcomings in Nicky Morgan’s vision of educational excellence about which I have seen little comment. Here are four…

On 17th March 2016, the Government published its white paper Educational Excellence Everywhere. This is the second major, recent government document that uses the term ‘evidence-based practice’ frequently…Educational Excellence Everywhere uses it 27 times, including nine times in the short section about initial teacher education.

Secretary of State Nicky Morgan is reportedly looking to recruit the next head of Ofsted from the United States…When we consider the paragons across the pond who are reportedly being considered or wooed in Morgan’s search for Michael Wilshaw’s successor, mere ideology descends into dangerous folly…

When it comes to recognition, we need to stop thinking of teachers as qualified after 1 year of training, and take a longer view of progress towards mastery…New teachers need to see that there is value and recognition in continuing their professional development, and financial and career incentive to engage in this.